Within The Folds of Darkness
by A Amelia Black
Summary: What if one day you woke up and nothing was right yet everything was so familiar? What if you didn’t even know yourself? Who you had been and who you were supposed to be? What if the one person that could help you was the unlikeliest of them all... (H-D
1. The Beginning of the End

**Alternate universes? Other realites? What if they were all true?  
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Within the Folds of Darkness**_

_**The Beginning of the End **_

"HARRY POTTER! You get down here this instant!"

Harry groaned, reaching out his hand to find his glasses, knocking over his lamp in the process. Placing his glasses on his face, he sat up, trying to rub the sleep from his eyes.

"Coming, Uncle Vernon," he muttered, standing and stretching. Stifling a yawn, he trundled over to his closet and pulled out some loose fitting clothes. Dressing, he attempted to tame his wild hair and went downstairs.

Upon entering the kitchen, a frying pan was thrust into his hands. "Help your aunt," Uncle Vernon said, glaring over his paper. Aunt Petunia didn't say anything and just motioned for him to go to the stove.

The summer of his 6th year had gone smoothly for the most part and his aunt and uncle had been decent to him. Of course, there were plenty of reasons why they would, due to the fact that Voldemort was definitely back and even Vernon wasn't a fool. Remus had visited occasionally, as had Tonks and other members of the Order of the Phoenix, mostly to check up on him. But it was welcomed.

Dudley had stopped picking on him, mostly too busy with stuffing his face in front of the television. Harry glanced at his cousin, whose beady eyes were currently watching the tele. He fried up some eggs and set it in front of his cousin and uncle. Taking his own food, he looked at Aunt Petunia.

"I'm going back upstairs," he said. She nodded, making a shooing motion and he left.

Taking his food to his room, he sat down at his desk. Pulling out his Potions book, he began eating and reading. Suddenly the pages shimmered and he blinked, rubbing his eyes. They went back to normal and he brushed it off as not getting enough sleep. He continued to read and was about to put his book away when it happened again. But this time, it was much bigger. It felt like the room was spinning and he put his hands to his head, squeezing his eyes shut. Then he was falling.......

_**The Year 1991**_

_Harry blinked, looking around. _Where am I?_ Then he saw himself and stared. There he stood, his eleven-year old self, about to get the news that would change his life, and soon become the happiest day of his life._

"But yeah must know about yer mum and dad," Hagrid said. "I mean, they're _famous._ You're _famous._"

"What?" Harry asked. "My – my mum and dad weren't famous, were they?"

"Yeh don' know...yeh don' know..." Hagrid ran his fingers through his hair, fixing Harry with a bewildered stare. "Yeh don' know what yeh _are?_"

Uncle Vernon suddenly spoke and Harry glanced at him. "Stop!" he commanded. "Stop right there, sir! I forbid you to tell the boy anything!"

A braver man than Vernon Dursley would have quailed under the furious look Hagrid now gave him; when Hagrid spoke, his every syllable trembled with rage.

"You never told him? Never told him what was in the letter Dumbledore left fer him? I was there! I saw Dumbledore leave it, Dursley! An' you've kept it from him all these years?"

"Keep _what_ from me?" Harry asked.

"STOP! I FORBID YOU!" yelled Uncle Vernon in panic. Aunt Petunia gave a gasp of horror.

"Ah, go boil yer heads, both of yeh," said Hagrid. "Harry – yer a wizard."

_Suddenly the world was spinning and he was lost in the darkness once again..._

"- my name's Malfoy. Draco Malfoy."

_Harry blinked, suddenly standing right next to himself. He glanced at the younger Harry and reached out, waving his hand in front of the boy's face, but he didn't move. _What's going on?_ Harry wondered. He looked at Malfoy standing in the doorway._

"Think my name's funny, do you? No need to ask who you are. My father told me all the Weasleys have red hair, freckles, and more children than they can afford." Draco turned back to Harry. "You'll soon find out some wizarding families are much better than others, Potter. You don't want to go making friends with the wrong sort. I can help you there." Draco held out his hand.

_Harry wondered vaguely what would have happened if he had chosen to take Draco's hand that day on the train but before he could see what happened, the darkness consumed him..._

_Harry blinked, looking around. He saw himself lying on the Quidditch pitch. Looking around, he realized there was a match going on. He blinked, suddenly seeing himself in green and silver robes. Then that image vanished and he saw young Harry standing up and coughing, the golden snitch falling out into his hands. And he was definitely wearing red and gold robes._

"He didn't _catch _it, he nearly _swallowed_ it!"

Cheering filled the air and a triumphant Harry was grinning broadly.

_Harry smiled upon seeing this. _Another one of the happiest moments..._And then he was gone..._

_He stood in an empty room. Looking around, he found himself, standing in front of a mirror. _The Mirror of Erised!_ He realized. He stepped up beside his younger self, looking at the reflection in the mirror._

There was a woman with dark red hair and her eyes were identical to Harry's. Bright green – exactly the same shape, but then he noticed that she was crying; smiling, but crying at the same time. The tall, thin, black-haired man standing next to her put his arm around her. He wore glasses, and his hair was very untidy. It stuck up in at the back, just as Harry's did.

Harry was so close to the mirror now that his nose was nearly touching that of his reflection. "Mom?" he whispered. "Dad?"

_Harry swallowed, trying to hold back the tears that threatened to fall. He had thought had had come to terms with the loss of his parents, but he realized as his tears fell that he hadn't. And it hurt._

They just looked at him, smiling. And slowly, Harry looked into the faces of the other people in the mirror, and saw other pairs of green eyes like his, other noses like his, even a little old man who looked as though he had Harry's knobbly knees – Harry was looking at his family, for the first time in his life.

The Potters smiled and waved at Harry and he stared hungrily back at them, his hands pressed flat against the glass as though he was hoping to fall right through it and reach them. He had a powerful kind of ache inside him, half joy, half terrible sadness.

_Harry closed his eyes briefly. _I wish they were still alive,_ he thought before he was falling once more..._

_**The Year 1992**_

"You don't think he managed to get a picture of his attacker?" said Professor McGonagall eagerly.

Dumbledore didn't answer. He opened the back of the camera.

"Good gracious!" said Madam Pomfrey.

A jet of steam had hissed out of the camera. There was the acrid smell of burnt plastic drifting in the air.

_Harry stared, watching them. _The Chamber of Secrets,_ he whispered._

"Melted," said Madam Pomfrey wonderingly. "All melted..."

"What does this _mean,_ Albus?" Professor McGonagall asked urgently.

"It means," said Dumbledore, "that the Chamber of Secrets is indeed open again."

_Harry turned away, looking around the hospital wing, his eyes landing on his younger self pretending to sleep. _If only I had know how to get down to the chamber earlier...I could have saved Ginny all of that...if only I had taken that diary when I saw Mr. Malfoy put it in Ginny's cauldron,_ Harry thought, knowing that all the ifs in the world wouldn't change the past..._

_**The Year 1993**_

"You know what this means?" Sirius said abruptly. "Turning Pettigrew in?"

_Harry stifled back a gasp, looking into the face of his godfather. His thirteen year old self walked next to him. He fought back tears that threatened to overwhelm him. Seeing Sirius, alive and well hurt._

"You're free," said Harry.

"Yes..." said Sirius. "But I'm also – I don't know if anyone ever told you – I'm your godfather."

"Yeah, I knew that," said Harry.

"Well...your parents appointed me your guardian. If anything happened to them..." Harry waited. "I'll understand, of course, if you want to stay with your aunt and uncle. But...well...think about it. Once my name's cleared...if you wanted a...a different home..."

"What – live with you?"

_Harry felt a twinge in his chest. That had been another great moment where he felt that nothing could ever go wrong again._

"Of course, I thought you wouldn't want to," Sirius said quickly. "I understand, I just thought I'd –"

"Are you insane? Of course I want to leave the Dursleys! Have you got a house? When can I move in?"

"You want to? You mean it?"

"Yeah, I mean it!"

_Upon seeing the smile on Sirius' face, Harry's heart wrenched. He closed his eyes, the tears falling. _Sirius...it's all my fault...I'm so sorry....why did you have to leave? Why couldn't you be alive?_ And then it was dark..._

From far away, above his head, he heard a high, cold voice say, "_Kill the spare,_"

A swishing noise and a second voice, which screeched the words to the night: "_Avada Kedavra!"_

_Harry watched as a blaze of green light filled the cemetery and watched as Cedric fell to the ground, dead. He swallowed what was left in his stomach, trying not to retch. It was too horrible to watch. That nightmare had haunted him for years and here he was, watching it all over again..._

_**The Year 1995**_

_Harry stood in a vast room and then his eyes fell upon an archway in the center. With a knot of dread in his stomach, he realized what it was and what was going to happen. In horror, people appeared and he watched as a few people battled._

"Come on, you can do better than that!" Sirius yelled, his voice echoing around the cavernous room. The second jet of light hit him squarely in the chest.

_Harry's eyes widened and he couldn't help but leap for Sirius. "SIRIUS!!!" he screamed._

The laughter had not quite died from his face, but his eyes widened in shock. It seemed to take Sirius an age to fall. His body curved in a graceful arc as he sank backward through the ragged veil hanging from the arch...

There was a look of mingled fear and surprise on his godfather's wasted, once-handsome face as he fell through the ancient doorway and disappeared behind the veil, which fluttered for a moment as though in a high wind and then fell back into place.

_Harry leapt, tears streaming down his face, into the veil and beyond..._

_**Present Day**_

"Oh wake up already! You've slept the entire bloody afternoon!" a very familiar voice chided.

Harry blinked open his eyes and saw only fuzzy images. He reached for his glasses, only to find that they weren't there. Rubbing his eyes, he realized that the images were getting clearer.

"Oy! He's coming to!" someone called. That someone looked back down at Harry and when he finally saw clearly who it was, he gasped in shock.


	2. The Life He Never Knew

_**Within the Folds of Darkness**_

**_A Life He Never Knew _**

"Oy! He's coming to!" someone called. That someone looked back down at Harry and when he finally saw clearly who it was, he gasped in shock.

"Malfoy?" he whispered incredulously. The man standing over him was certainly Malfoy, but he looked much older as if he had gone through far too much. With long platinum hair tied back at the nape of his neck, silver eyes, porcelain skin etched with lines of premature aging, Malfoy still held his looks that must have broken a thousand hearts.

"Of course, who else?" Malfoy rolled his eyes. "And since when are we using last names? I swear, we've been living together for the past three bloody years and you still forget. Let's go. You'll be late for your interview."

"My what?" he asked, extremely confused as Malfoy was hauling him off the bed.

Malfoy massaged his temples with a look of exasperation on his face. "I didn't think you had been that pissed last night, but obviously I was wrong. Just get dressed and come to the kitchen." Malfoy shook his head, muttering something unintelligible as he walked out. A woman who had entered earlier followed Malfoy out.

Harry took a moment to look at his surroundings, taking in the large ornate four-poster, the expensive furniture, the high ceilings and the tall Gothic windows. There were oriental carpets set on the floor and a large wardrobe off to one side, with a door hanging open revealing very expensive looking clothes. Harry walked over there cautiously, not sure if he was dreaming but certainly hoping he was. _Where am I? Why is Malfoy here? What's going on?_ He opened the other door and had to grip onto the edge of the door to keep from reeling back. On the inside of the door was a long mirror and he just stared. The reflection he saw was not one he remembered. The once-handsome man looking back at him had shoulder-length shaggy black hair, no glasses, dulled green eyes, and though the lightning scar still remained, another jagged scar cut across the bridge of his nose. His skin was darker and the clothes he wore were foreign to him: black silken pajamas that fit perfectly to his strong body. _Why am I wearing these? Where are my glasses?_ He reached up instinctively, as if hoping that the reflection was false, but his glasses weren't there. He looked around, surprised at how clear things were. Why hadn't he realized that before? _I'm used to wearing glasses...I didn't even think...but...why can I see so well? _

He turned from the mirror and walked to one of the windows, looking out over a misty foreign landscape. Stone buildings and other constructions poked lazily above the fog, scattered about the land that seemed to be endless. _Where am I?_ _What is this place?_ He looked away, his eyes falling once again on the wardrobe. _I guess I'd better get dressed and figure all this out._ He walked over, pulling out a pair of trousers and a long-sleeved shirt. It was black, as everything else was in the wardrobe. Dressing, he set the pajamas on the foot of the bed. Searching the floor, he finally found black shoes and slipped them on. Running a hand through his unruly hair, he spotted a black hair band on the bedside table. Taking it, he tied back what he could of his hair, but a few strands still fell to frame his face. He glanced back at the mirror and he had to fight back the pain that gripped his heart. The reflection looked just like Sirius, save for a few minor details. _Why, Sirius? Why?_ His vision went blurry and he realized that he was crying. Wiping the tears away, he looked down at his hands. Even his hands didn't seem the same, calloused from hard work, scarred from who knew what. He sighed, dropping his hands to his sides. With one last look around the spacious room, he walked out in an attempt to find the kitchen.

&&&

"Yes, I'll be there James. Yes. Yes. Right. Of course. You know I keep trying. He's as stubborn as you. He won't listen; won't hear a word of it. It's been like that for the past couple of years, I doubt anything will really change it. He doesn't care. Yes. I know. Alright. I'll be there in a tick. I've got to make sure he gets to his interview at Gringotts. At least he's working. Yes. Right. He's a little off right now; probably from all he drank last night. Well, I'd better get going. He'll be down here soon enough. What? Tell Sirius to shove it. He can kiss my arse. I don't care. Alright. Bye."

Draco sighed, hanging up the phone. The manor was safe and charmed heavily so no spy could find out what went on. The Order had been moving around as of late, keeping out of Voldemort's radar. They probably would end up staying at the manor for a short time, since it was one of the safest places. Narcissa had been the one to suggest that and although Draco was head of the house, Narcissa was the backbone. She had entered the Order of the Phoenix shortly after Lucius had been killed by none other than Draco. He was glad to see his mother so strong.

Rubbing his temples, a thing he always did when frustrated, he looked down at the copy of the _Daily Prophet_ that lay on the table. The war was getting worse, if that was even possible. They were barely holding their own. _Once Harry gets back on his feet, he's going to be annoyed, as usual. I can see it now. He'll go on and on about how much time I spend with the 'bloody pathetic Order' as he calls it and that I don't spend enough time with him. Then he'll be in a fuss about being bored, wanting more parties...It's all I can do to keep him from drinking himself to death. He doesn't care and he gets colder by the year. Brought up on fame and wealth, he's had everything handed to him. If I didn't know him as well as I do, I would think that he'd join the dark side for the hell of it. But even he isn't stupid._

Draco heard footsteps and lifted his head to see Harry standing in the doorway. "About time. Breakfast is on the counter." He waved his hand towards the plates of food. It was times like these he wished the house elves were still around. But magic did the trick.

He watched as Harry moved silently to the counter, dishing out a fair amount of food and taking a seat at the table. As Harry ate silently, Draco wondered what was wrong. Harry was never this silent. He was always complaining or giving everyone cold looks. And he definitely would have complained about having to get his own breakfast. The boy was used to too much being handed to him. _Maybe he still has a hangover from last night,_ Draco thought, but even that didn't make sense.

"I have to leave," Draco said, deciding to break the silence. "Order business." He waited for Harry to make a smart remark but none came. Instead, quite the opposite happened.

"The Order? Where? When?" Harry's eyes went wide, looking at Draco.

"Since when do you care about the Order?" Draco asked, quirking an eyebrow.

"Oh," Harry looked confused and then looked back down at his food. "Never mind. Sorry."

Draco gave him an odd look. "You're acting very...odd as of late. You sure you're alright?"

"Fine."

"Alright. Your dad says you still have a place in the Order." Harry choked on the piece of sausage that he had been eating and Draco reached over, hitting him on the back. "You alright there, mate?"

"F-Fine," Harry gasped, his eyes wide, looking at Draco. "M-My dad?"

"Yeah, the same guy you emancipated yourself from when you were sixteen. Remember?"

"I – I'll be right back." Harry stood up abruptly, nearly knocking over his chair in the process and ran out. There was a sound of something crashing to the floor and then footsteps disappearing into the distance.

"Don't hurt yourself!" Draco yelled after him. "Your interview is in fifteen minutes!" Draco sighed. "Why do I even bother anymore?" he muttered, standing and clearing the dishes with a swish of his wand.

&&&

Harry stumbled into the room he had awakened in and just collapsed onto the floor. _It's not possible. It's not! My dad's dead...he was killed by Voldemort. Why is Malfoy nice to me? What is going on? He's acting like he's my friend...and the Order! Why am I not in it? Still have a place? Emancipated? I left my dad? This has to be a dream! It's not possible, it's not possible..._ he repeated over and over in his head. He hugged his knees to his chest, staring at the floor, shocked.

This was how Draco found him ten minutes later. He crouched down next to Harry, placing a hand on his shoulder. "Are you going to be alright?"

Harry nodded mutely, still looking at the floor. "My parents, they're alive?"

Draco looked at him oddly. "I should hope so. I just talked to James and he didn't sound like he was dead. What's gotten into you? You know this."

"Where do they live?"

"Why do you care suddenly? You never have before."

"Where do they live, M – Draco?" Harry looked at Draco, his face set with determination.

"Godric's Hollow, why?"

Harry stood. "I've got to go."

"Harry, are you forgetting something?"

"No." Harry looked at him.

"You interview, dimwit. Don't be late."

"What?"

Draco rolled his eyes, standing. "You've never worked and while I could care less about you getting a job, you're the one that made such a fuss about finally working. Because you're bored or something. Gringotts won't wait for you."

"Alright." Harry moved to leave and Draco grabbed his arm.

"Where are you going?"

"My interview."

"Walking?" Draco asked, arching an eyebrow. "Just Apparate."

Harry's eyes widened and he looked scared for a moment. "Um, well, I don't think I should. I'm still not steady enough."

Draco didn't push it, but he wanted to know what was going on. Harry was acting very strange. "Then Floo there."

"Right." Harry nodded, moving to leave.

"Harry."

Harry turned and Draco held up his coat. "Might need this." Draco threw the coat at Harry, who caught it. _He really must be out of it,_ Draco thought. _Doesn't even know its winter..._

"Thanks." Harry walked out, glancing only once at Draco with a confused look before leaving.

"I'm surprised he didn't yell at you for this morning," Narcissa said, stepping into the room. The war had taken its toll on Narcissa and although she still kept her regal nature and her beauty, it was a thin shell covering years of pain and worry. If a person looked close enough, they could see past her cover.

Draco turned to his mother and shrugged. "Who knows what's going on. I think he's still out of it."

"Well hopefully he remains out of it, because I rather like him like this," Narcissa said with a smile.

Draco smiled back, a rarity now-a-days. "It is good not to be yelled at constantly." He glanced at his watch. "I'd better get going. James called me earlier this morning. Wants a quick meeting with a few of the Aurors."

Narcissa nodded. "Just be careful."

Draco smirked, a ghost of his old self. "Always am." And he Disapparated.

&&&

Harry kept his hands shoved in his pockets as he walked the streets of Diagon Alley. A thin layer of snow covered the ground and most of the shops were closed. Some looked as if they had sustained heavy damage and Harry wondered vaguely if the war was still going on. So much didn't make sense and there was too much to comprehend. _Why is Malfoy like this? Why is this place familiar yet so strange?_ The streets were eerily silent and as he walked to Gringotts, he stopped, looking up at the leaning building. He debated on whether or not to enter and then turned, walking away. He needed time to think.

_If my dad's alive...then is there a possibility that...Sirius?_ He brushed off that thought, not wanting to get his hopes up. Then Malfoy's words came back to him**_: the same guy you emancipated yourself from when you were sixteen. _**Harry furrowed his eyebrows, watching his breath come out in clouds. _Sixteen? So...how old am I? Why aren't I fighting? I need to see my dad. I need to know._ He stopped, looking up at the cloudy sky where a few snow flakes had begun to fall. Then, pulling his hood up over his head, he began walking once again.


	3. Reunion

Prepare for some very interesting encounters :)_**  
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_**Within the Folds of Darkness**_

_**Reunion**_

Harry had been walking for some time, mostly in a daze, and didn't remember much of how he got to where he was. But now he stood in front of a plain looking house with dark green shutters and an oak door. It was one of the nicer ones on the street, but it didn't stick out; unlike the one next door which had a bright yellow door and pink shutters.

He looked up at the house. _Why does it feel familiar? Like I know this place? How could I? I've never seen it...have I?_ His eyes fell upon the mailbox. The name on the mailbox said 'The Gerkens', but he knew that wasn't who really lived there. And that confused him greatly. _Why would those people live here? Why would I think otherwise?_ Though he was beginning to think, hope, that this was all one big dream, or nightmare depending on the way he looked at it.

Part of him just wanted to scream and tear his hair out. It had to be a dream. It couldn't be real. His father was dead. Sirius was dead. Everyone he loved was dead. Or he felt like it. Then the other part of him wanted to see if this was real, to go up to that door and knock on it to see who answered. But he was terrified. Perhaps terrified to see his father, to see the man that he had dreamed about so much, perhaps terrified that it wouldn't be his father and it was all some sick joke.

_And what if what Malfoy said is true? If I left him...Merlin, I don't even know what's going on. I've heard about alternate universes...but I didn't think they'd be real. Is that what I'm in? Some sort of other reality? I don't know..._he thought, getting extremely frustrated. Though his life hadn't been the greatest and had been filled with a lot of pain, it had also had plenty of great memories with Hermione and Ron. _Hermione! Ron! I wonder where they are? I need to see them! Maybe Hermione can explain to me all of this... _He shivered slightly, only then realizing that the snow had begun to fall harder. Not trusting himself to Apparate since he didn't even know how (though supposedly he did...it was all too confusing), and figuring he wasn't going to make it far in the blizzard, he began walking down the path towards the house.

He swallowed; a knot in his stomach was twisting every which way and was not making him feel too good at all. He reached up and knocked twice. Not hearing anything at first, he breathed a sigh of relief and turned to go. _Thank Merlin..._ Though he had wanted to see his dad for so long, suddenly he wasn't so sure. Then he heard the door open and a voice call out, "Harry?"

He froze, his heart skipping a few beats and his breath held. That voice... He turned slowly, and found himself staring into the face of his father. The man he had seen in the Mirror of Erised...the man whose voice he had heard when he had faced Voldemort in the graveyard after Cedric fell... He was too shocked to move and James looked equally confused to see his son. It was like he was looking at the self he knew; an older version of Harry, except with hazel eyes instead of green.

Then all at once it was like a spell had been broken. Harry ran at James, throwing his arms around his father and sobbed. "Dad...Dad...." he choked through his sobs.

James furrowed his eyebrows, looking at Harry. This had been the last thing he had expected. _Harry hasn't come around in years...not since his sixth year. The only connection I had with him was through Draco. What changed?_ James thought. _Why's he acting like this?_

"It's alright, Harry," James said quietly, hugging his son. "Let's get inside before we all get frozen." He led his son into the house, closing the door. _And how did he find this house? It's hidden ..._ Helping Harry sit down on the couch, he said, "I'll get you a cup of tea or something. You're ice cold. Just stay there; you'll be alright." Harry didn't answer, just staring at his hands, so James walked into the kitchen, flicking his wand to get some water boiling.

"Who was that?" Lily asked, looking up from the table. She had been rolling the good silverware. It didn't really need to be done, but she always had to be doing something and it was getting late enough in the evening that nothing else was going on.

"Harry," he said incredulously. Lily's eyes widened. "I know, I know, odd. It was the last thing I expected. And he acts...I don't know how to explain it. I think you should go in and talk to him. He looked at me like he had seen a ghost."

"Okay," Lily said, standing. She smiled, walking over to James and kissing him lightly. "I think it was the hair."

James chuckled. "You know as well as I do I can't do anything about it."

"That I do." She smiled and walked into the living room. "Harry?"

Harry looked up and Lily immediately realized what James had been talking about. Harry was staring at her like he was dreaming and like he had seen a ghost. "M-Mom?" he choked out.

Lily nodded. "Yes...what's wrong, Harry?"

"I –" and he broke down into sobs. At this, Lily was extremely confused. The Harry she knew never cried and certainly wouldn't have come home. Though she loved her son dearly, she sometimes wondered if there was something she had done wrong. He was cold, careless, and extremely selfish. But as she looked at her son, she didn't see anything like that. All she saw was a very upset and perhaps even scared twenty-one year old.

She immediately went to her son's side and enveloped him in a hug, holding him close to her. "Shh, shh," she soothed.

"I...I thought I'd never see you...ever...have you touch me...real....I..." Harry sobbed, his face buried in her chest. She just held him, laying her head on top of his.

Harry kept his eyes squeezed shut, the tears running down his face. _My mom...she's holding me...she...she's really real...my dad...they're alive..._ "You're alive," he whispered. "I've wished so much...so much..."

Lily stroked his hair, looking down at her son, wondering what could have happened to change him into what she held now.

He finally pulled back, looking at her. She was every bit as beautiful as he had seen in the Mirror of Erised, if not more. Her hair was still fiery; her green eyes still had some sparkle, and her smile ...the same as the one he had memorized since that day with the mirror. "Mom? How? I don't understand...."

"How what, love?" Lily asked, smiling. "We're just happy you came home finally."

**_The man you emancipated yourself from..._**Draco's words came back to Harry. "I don't want to leave," Harry said. _My parents here...right in front of me...I never want to leave!_

James walked out at that moment and he took a seat, looking at Harry. "What happened, Harry?"

"I – I don't know," Harry said and it was the truth. He had no clue how this had happened to him, but he knew he never wanted to give it up. Not if it gave him the chance to spend time with his parents.

"Well it's great to have you here. Did you think about the Order?"

"I –"

Lily 'tsked', looking at James sternly. "He's exhausted, James. Let him get some sleep before you barrage him with questions."

"I just wanted to know," James replied.

Harry had to fight back the tears, looking at his parents. From all that he had heard about them, this was more than he could ever have hoped for. But he could feel his eyelids growing heavy and he knew that he was exhausted. He fought to stay awake, wanting to talk to his parents more, but Lily saw him and shook her head.

"Harry, let's get you to bed. You can talk all you want in the morning."

Harry wanted to protest but he knew she was right. Besides, if all this was truly real, then he did have time to talk to them. "Okay," he said finally, standing. He walked over to James. "Dad, I missed you," he whispered, hugging him fiercely.

James hugged him back. "Same here, Harry." They pulled back and Harry smiled. Lily took his arm and led him to another room.

"Goodnight, Harry," Lily said, smiling. She hugged him and he hugged her back, never wanting to let go. When they finally did pull apart, he had tears in his eyes. "Don't cry. You're home now."

"I know," Harry whispered, wiping the tears and smiling. She gave him one last smile before leaving.He lay down on the bed and before he knew it, he had fallen into a restless sleep.

Later that night, somewhere around two in the morning, Lily sat at the kitchen table, her hands wrapped around a steaming cup of tea. Her eyes were on the dark liquid, deep in thought.

"And here I thought you hated reading tea leaves," a warm voice joked and Lily looked up to see James standing in the doorway.

Any other time, she would have smiled and teased him right back, but she only looked at him and then back at the tea. James frowned, wondering what was going on. Walking over, he sat down next to his wife. "Lily? What's wrong?"

"It's Harry – I don't know why, it's just... doesn't something feel off?" She looked at him.

James pushed his glasses back on the bridge of his nose, running a hand through his hair. "I don't know, love. Maybe he just changed his mind."

"After five years? We haven't seen him since that day he walked out and suddenly he comes back crying? It just doesn't seem like him."

"Maybe something happened. But I know Draco would tell me –"

"You honestly think he would tell you everything about Harry? This is Draco Malfoy we're talking about. I know you think he's changed and he's become more reliable since he joined the Order, but you know as well as I do that he's the one that changed our son into what he is."

"That's not necessarily true, Lily. Unfortunately, after Harry went to school his attitude started changing. Even Dumbledore noticed that. Growing up with fame, Harry had everything handed to him and when school proved a challenge, he found ways of slipping around it. When he pushed Hermione and Ron away in his fifth year and sunk inward, you remember how hard it was to talk to him. Then suddenly he gets up and leaves us, never to hear a word from him again. Dumbledore had expressed his concern about Harry hanging out with Draco but how could I believe that? And then I saw it for myself. Harry's been rebellious since he was little."

Lily sighed. "But then why would he suddenly come back?"

"Honestly Lily? I don't know."

"I –"

But she was interrupted by a scream. "_SIRIUS! No!_" Immediately, Lily and James jumped to their feet, running for the source of the scream. They found Harry thrashing in his bed, tears streaming down his face, his eyes squeezed shut, in the throes of nightmare. His hands, the knuckles turning white, were gripping the sheets. "_SIRIUS! Please! I'm sorry! I didn't mean it! Please! Come back! SIRIUS!"_

James and Lily stood there, staring, at a loss of words and actions. They looked at each other and then Lily moved swiftly to Harry's side, pulling him into her arms. "Shh...Shh," she soothed, stroking his hair and rocking him, singing a soft lullaby. Harry quieted and the last few tears trickled down his cheeks.

"I'm so sorry, Sirius," he whispered. "It's all my fault."

Lily continued to rock him until he fell back into a restless sleep, his hands relaxing. She lay him back in the pillows and brought the covers up to his chin. Standing, she looked at him for a few moments. James came up behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist, resting his chin on her shoulder. "What could have happened to cause such a nightmare?" Lily whispered.

"Maybe we should talk to Sirius. He might know something."

"All we can do is try."

&&&

"Sorry, no. I haven't seen him since his sixth year," Sirius said, taking a bite out of his apple. James had come by his cubicle and told him what had happened the previous night. Now James was sitting on the edge of Sirius' desk.

"Then what could he be talking about?"

Sirius shrugged. "I don't know, James. It's not like we can do anything about it. Harry shoved us all away that day. I've told you countless times since then, don't go after him because it'll only make it worse. Though I'll admit this is really odd, having him suddenly showing up like that, but maybe it's just a mood." Sirius had been indifferent to Harry after Harry had graduated, for Sirius had tried to convince Harry to rethink his decisions, as he cared for him like a son. But Harry wouldn't have any of it and he had shoved Sirius away as well in a duel. Sirius still had a small scar on his chin from that and ever since then, Sirius stayed away from any Harry topics. It hurt too much to think about his godson and the person that he had become.

"But maybe he's changed," James said hopefully.

"Do you honestly believe that?" Sirius eyed James.

James was silent for a few moments and then sighed. "No, I suppose you're right. Sorry, mate, for bringing this up. I know you don't like talking about it."

"I'm still your best friend, James. No matter what it is, you can talk to me. Now shove off before this gets sappy." Sirius gave James a grin.

James smiled back. "Wouldn't want that." He hopped off the desk. "Come home with me for lunch, alright? Maybe you can help convince Lily."

"Will there be free food?" Sirius asked hopefully.

"Of course."

"Then I'll be there." They laughed.

James picked up one of Sirius' apples and bit into it. "Thanks for the apple." He walked out with a smile on his face.

"I never offered!" Sirius called after him and leaned back in his chair. It had felt good to smile and joke, even though he knew James was laughing hollowly. The thing with Harry had definitely shook up James and even Sirius wasn't dense enough not to see that. Sirius tossed the apple core into the trash and sat up, rifling through his papers. Working for Intelligence wasn't exactly the easiest job on the market, but at least it kept his interest. With James moving up the ladder and next in line for Head Auror, James had enough on his mind without needing the added aggravation of Harry. Sirius didn't understand why James kept pursuing Harry, even trying to go through Draco to get Harry to come to the Order. It was a useless effort and it only wore James down. Sirius didn't like seeing his best friend so exhausted all the time and on the account of his son. Though Sirius loved Harry and that would never change, it didn't mean he had to like the person that Harry had become.

Taking a sip of coffee (the only thing that kept him going in the morning), he went back to work.

&&&

Lunch came quickly and everyone at the WCI (Wizarding Central Intelligence) headed out for the hour. Though the Aurors were a large part of the WCI and the Head Auror Rich Voltras oversaw the operations, it was really the Intel personnel that kept the show running. Sirius was top of the Intel department and for good reason. With the work he had done, they had come very close to bringing down Voldemort. The only reason they hadn't, was because there had been a spy. Having rooted out that person, the WCI had come back on its feet and with James heading up the larger operations, they were regaining their footing in the war. Just barely. They had their own spies, like Draco Malfoy, but even that was risky. Too many had ended up dead in the past years. James was the head of the Order of the Phoenix as well and though Lily was helping him with the Order, Sirius could tell that James was wearing down. It was no great surprise, as the war was wearing everyone down, but James looked the worst; which was most likely because he worried about Harry as well.

At the Potter's, Sirius and James sat in the living room, talking about various issues while Lily finished making lunch. Though they couldn't talk about work (never knew if someone could be listening, though unlikely), there was plenty of other things to talk about.

"- and since they're still going, I think we definitely should try to score tickets for the match," Sirius was saying, talking about the upcoming Quidditch World Cup. Even with the war, Quidditch still went on and Sirius was grateful for that. It helped relieve stress.

"I'm sure you can get us tickets," James smiled.

"We're talking about me here. Of course I can," Sirius laughed.

"Of course," James laughed. "Did you see the match between the Magpies and the Tornados?"

"Of course. And that final play at the end? Amazing. With the way Gran swooped down –" Sirius was making a downward swooping motion with his hand but froze, looking at something past James' head.

James looked at his best friend curiously and then turned. Harry stood in the doorway, having just woken up. Harry had a look on his face that was a mixture of horror, shock and astonishment.

"Hello, Harry," Sirius said, standing.


	4. Ghosts of the Past

Thank you SOOOOO much, all you awesome reviewers! Keep after me!

Sorry this took so long, I had major writer's block. But here it is, finally, Chapter Four!

Just wait until the next chapter ;) It's going to rock, promise. It'll be quite interesting and funny.

Enjoy and please review! That's what keeps me going!

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* * *

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_**Within the Folds of Darkness**_

_**Ghosts of the Past**_

Harry stared, feeling very much like he had just eaten a Ton-Tounge Toffee. He couldn't speak and his heart was beating so fast it sounded like a steady drum. _Sirius…_ The last time he had seen his godfather…the horrible memory flashed before his eyes. Seeing his godfather fall backwards, as if in slow-motion…through the veil…gone…forever…until now. _This is just a dream…a horrible tease…it can't…it can't…he…_It was almost worse than seeing his parents. He had never actually seen his parents die and hadn't grown up with them. But Sirius…after spending the better part of the past two years with him, he had grown to know his godfather better. And then, all because he had been so stupid! _Stupid stupid! I shouldn't have stopped those occlumancy courses! That was my own stupid stupid fault! If I hadn't stopped, I would have known Sirius wasn't at the Department of Mysteries…he would have been safe! _

Tears fell and he couldn't even move to wipe them away. He didn't know what to do…whether to run and hug his godfather, to just break down right then or there or run. Sirius looked just as shocked to see Harry and he wondered if this Sirius hated him …if he had left Sirius…as Draco had told him.

Finally regaining his sense of mobility, he stepped backwards, blinking back tears, and ran. Running until he found the back door, bolting from it and then just stopping, standing in foot deep snow, flakes falling around him. His knees gave out and he fell to his knees into the snow. He shut his eyes tight, sobbing. "Sirius…I'm so sorry…It's my fault you died…all my fault…"

Back inside, Sirius stared after his godson. That had not been the reaction he was expecting; certainly not the tears. The Harry he knew never cried. He swallowed, moistening his throat and looked at James, extremely confused. "What just happened?"

James looked at him. "Honestly? I have no idea. He came here last night, saying how much he missed us. He wasn't acting at all like what would be expected."

"James,"

Both men turned to see Lily standing in the doorway of the kitchen. "What?" James asked.

"He's not Harry."

"What?" they both said, staring at her.

"I mean, he's Harry…but he's not our Harry."

"What are you talking about?" Sirius asked. "Of course he's Harry…" _Though he was acting odd…_

"How do you know this?" James questioned.

"I don't know, James. It's just a…feeling I have. It just doesn't seem right."

"Let's say, for one millisecond, that I believe you," James said. "Who would he be?"

"I don't know," Lily said, looking at a complete loss. "I'm going to talk to Dumbledore. Maybe he'll know." They were silent for a few moments.

"I'm going to go find Harry," Sirius said suddenly. They looked at him, surprised. "What?"

"I thought you didn't want to be around him," James asked.

"People change," was his answer as Sirius left the room. In all honesty, he didn't know why he was pursuing Harry. Just to get hurt again? To get a violent backlash and add another scar to his many? But when Sirius finally found Harry and saw him sitting there, hunched in the snow, sobbing, Sirius couldn't find it in himself to just walk away. He stood there for a few moments, looking at his godson, who at the moment looked completely and utterly defeated.

_I don't know how this couldn't be Harry, though he's not acting like the Harry we know. _But a small voice played in the back of Sirius' mind. _But what if this is really Harry and he's just playing with you…tearing at your heart to make you weak. Then he'll strike and hurt you. You really want that?_

Sirius bit his lip, ignoring the fact that he didn't have a coat on and was starting to lose feeling in his fingertips. _But he's still my godson. I love him._

_He doesn't love you. He told you that himself._

_But what if he's changed?_

_You're just going to get hurt. Leave now._

Sirius reached out to touch Harry's shoulder but then pulled back. His heart ached, scarred from Harry's past words and actions. He just couldn't bring himself to speak. He moved to walk away but just at that moment, Harry lifted his head and looked at Sirius. Tears stained his face, his green eyes dulled from pain, very much defeated.

"I'm so sorry, Sirius…" he whispered, but it was like he was talking to someone that wasn't there. His voice was distant, as if he were in a dream.

Sirius didn't move or speak.

"It's all my fault," Harry continued, looking down at his hands which were red from the cold. "I should have listened. I should have listened to Dumbledore…Remus…if I had…you wouldn't have gone…you wouldn't have left…" Suddenly Harry stood, a fire in his eyes. "You left me!" he cried. "Why did you leave me? Didn't you care?" He was yelling and pounding his fists on Sirius' chest. But they didn't hurt as Harry was obviously too weak to do much. Sirius stood there, looking at his godson, too shocked to speak. "You shouldn't have gone! You knew what would happen! You just had to fight her! Didn't you? DIDN"T YOU! Why? You were all I had left! You LEFT ME!" Harry sobbed, continuing to hit Sirius on the chest, but they were growing weaker and farther between. "You were like my father! You left! You left!" His words became strangled in his sobs and he collapsed against Sirius, sobbing into his chest.

Sirius swallowed and hesitantly put his arms around Harry. "It's alright," he whispered after a moment, resting his chin upon Harry's head, just holding him in the falling snow. His eyes gazed out over the white world, confused. _What is going on?_

Draco stood in the newly rebuilt Quality Quidditch Supplies shop. In an attack on Diagon alley a few months ago, many of the shops had been destroyed. Draco was glad that at least this one had come back fast. During his lunch breaks, he liked to Apparate here, checking out the latest supplies. He always did have to have the best. But even looking at the new Windspeed 100, he couldn't stop thinking about that morning. Harry had acted awfully strange. At first, Draco brushed it off as Harry being hungover, but the more he thought about it, the less it made sense.

"Ron, do we honestly have to come in here? You know how much I hate this Quid stuff," a protesting voice said.

Draco looked between two broomsticks hanging in front of him to see none other than Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger. Of course, in his book, it was just another pair of Weasleys. They had married a few years ago, right after they had graduated Hogwarts.

_I'm surprised there aren't more little Weasley brats hanging off their clothes,_ Draco thought with a sneer. _At least Harry came to his senses in fifth year, getting rid of those pathetic dolts and becoming friends with the right sort._ Draco moved around the broomstick rack and made his way to the door. The last thing he wanted to do was get too close to Weasley and Granger. _So I'm 23. I still think they're worthless._

But fate wouldn't have it and something barreled into him, knocking him to the floor, flat on his back. Actually, it had been two somethings, with bright red curly hair.

"Oh sorry!" Hermione said, rushing over and pulling the two squirming kids. Then she saw who it was and she frowned. "Oh, its you."

"Hermione, what happened – Trace and Karl you two need to learn to stay with your aunt Ginny," Ron scolded the two children.

"But Daddy!" one of them protested.

Draco just rolled his eyes and stood, brushing off his rich black robes. "Keep your little Weasel brats under control, Weasley," he said coolly, glaring at Ron.

"Don't you even start this, Draco Malfoy," Hermione said, moving between Draco and Ron. Ron shifted the two squirming monsters in his arms, finally giving up and letting them run around the store. He chased after them, not really in the mood to put up with Malfoy.

"Start what? Those two little monsters ran into me first."

"They're children, Draco."

"Since when were we on a first name basis, _Granger_,"

Hermione let out a cry of frustration. "You just can't get over yourself, can you Malfoy? No matter how many years pass since graduation, no matter how much you keep Harry locked away in that awful mansion of yours, you just won't stop!" Tears were welling up in her eyes.

"No need to get emotional," Draco smirked.

"You're horrid!"

"So I've been told." Draco turned and with a swish of his black cloak, he was out the door.

Hermione stood there a few moments, staring after Draco. Then she wiped away her tears and went to find Ron. She spotted Trace and Karl sitting on the floor, sucking on candy. Then she saw Ron leaning against a wall, looking exhausted.

She smiled softly and walked over to him. "You kept them from tearing apart the store, that's a new record," she teased.

Ron looked at her and smiled. "I try." Then he frowned. "What was all that ruckus with Malfoy?"

"He just doesn't know when to leave well enough alone. Now why are we talking about him? This is supposed to be a family trip. We don't get enough of those with being in the Order."

"Gin's probably ecstatic that Trace and Karl came to us. She never did like watching the twins."

Hermione laughed. "They're not that bad, just young."

Ron chuckled. "We were once."

"Were we? I could never remember." Hermione smiled as Ron put his arm around her shoulders.

"We were." Ron kissed her lightly. "Now let's go see what Aunt Ginny and Uncle Neville have cooked up today." Taking the twins in their arms, Ron and Hermione left the shop.

Draco was sitting in a large leather chair by the fireplace reading a book when he heard the door open. He stood, setting down the book and walked out into the foyer, his eyes falling on Harry.

Harry stood there, his back against the door, just staring at the floor

"Harry?" Draco walked over to stand in front of his friend, placing his hands on his shoulders.

"They're alive…" Harry whispered, still staring at the floor.

Draco frowned. "Who?"

"My parents…I saw them…I saw Sirius…"

Draco arched an eyebrow. "You saw your parents? Since when do you want to see them?"

Harry looked up at Draco, finally. "They're alive, M- Draco."

"Of course they are, why wouldn't they be? Now come on, you're talking nonsense. Let's get you some hot tea; you're freezing." Draco slid his arm around Harry, leading him towards the kitchen. Harry was silent as he took a seat at the table.

Using his wand, Draco conjured up some hot tea and set it in front of Harry, taking his seat across the table. He sipped his tea. "How did your interview go?" Draco asked, trying to get Harry onto a more comfortable topic.

"I didn't go."

Now Draco was pissed. "Harry, damn you, you were supposed to go to that interview! You are not going to be lazing about here anymore. I've taken care of you for the past five years. The least you can do is help me a little."

Harry was looking into his tea. "How old am I?"

Draco just stared at Harry like he had grown three heads. "Have you completely gone nutters?"

"Just answer the question." Harry looked at Draco.

Draco sighed, sitting back in his chair. _Maybe if I just play along with his little charade, he'll get out of it fast._ "You're 23. You'll be 24 in July."

Harry looked at Draco, unblinking. "Blimey," he whispered and in a hurry, he was up, moving towards the door

"Where are you going?" Draco asked, standing.

"Out."

"It's the middle of the night, you're not going anywhere."

"You're not my mother."

Draco moved fast, blocking Harry's exit. "You stop right there." He grabbed Harry's chin in an iron grip, forcing him to look at Draco. "I may not be your mum but I'm the closest thing to family you have. Or have you forgotten that you walked out on them? No matter what you saw today, they're not going to forgive you for that," he said, purposely being cold. "You're nothing to them. They don't love you. They don't want you around. This is the only place for you. I've been there for you for years now."

Harry tried to look away but Draco's grip wouldn't budge. "Let me go."

"Not until you swear you'll just stay put for tonight. Wait until you're thinking rationally."

Harry was silent for a few moments and then sighed. "Fine, now let go of my face."

Draco let go of him and watched as Harry turned, walking up the stairs. _At least there he sounded a little more normal. I don't know what's got into him. I'll talk to James tomorrow and see what's going on._ Draco turned and went back to his study.


End file.
